Kungfool

Hey guys, new here. I've been looking to buy a subwoofer for my vehicle (a subaru Forester), and I thought I had decided on a JL 10w6v2, but I don't really want to spend that much on a driver, and I wasn't sure it was the best bang for the buck. I stumbled accross soundsplinter while browsing a few audio forums, and I noticed their generally favorable reviews. I did some research on the site, and saw that these drivers were supplied (or at least the motors) by TC-Sounds. Owning and SVS 25-31 PCi myself, and having a friend who owns a PC PLUS with a TC-Sounds driver, I am well aware of the quality of these drivers. Here's my question. I was wondering if the RL-i 10 would be a good fit for my vehicle, in a .75 foot sealed enclosure? I am an SQ guy, looking for a fairly linear response and a good low end extension. The amp I am running can push 300 watts at 4 Ohms and a bit more at 2 ohms. My other components are 2 Focal 1.65v component sets in the front doors, 2 eclipse 4" SE8243 coaxials in the rear, and (probably) an eclipse cd5435. The amp is a Phoenix Gold XS4600. Thanks for any replies in advance. Dave Blue

I'm looking for a grill to protect my awesome sub. Anybody have any suggestions?

In trying to tweak my new RL-i 10, I noticed that the sub is very peaky from about 40-50 Hz, much louder than at 60-80 Hz. What can I do to remedy this? I have a .6 foot box, with around 350-400 watts going to the sub. The box is packed with polyfill. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks, Dave

Actually, I did reverse the phase on the sub, it made a pretty big difference in the 60-80Hz range. I'll try moving it around a bit.

Mike, Have you seen cabin gain in that range? It is about 10 db louder in this frequency range

OK, did some more messing around, found out that it is cabin gain. I tried blocking it down to .5 cubic feet, and it did help a little, but didn't sound 'right'. I then opened the back hatch and used by SPL meter to test at about 1 footr...60 and 70Hz were actually louder than 40 and 50Hz in this situation...so it's my wagon causing the gain... Anyway, it sound pretty darn good anyway, I just need a little less oomph on the 40-50Hz range. I'm thinking this EQ would be a good bet..the parametric eq on it would help me dial down my 50Hz mountain a bit. http://www.eclipse-web.com/equalizer/index.html#21010 The parametric eq is variable between 25-100Hz. It also has a 5 band graphic eq, and can be had on ebay for about $150 Feedback will be appreciated.

Thanks Mike, Listened to it a little more last night, and there is a definite improvement after removing the polyfill. It almost sounds like the 50Hz boost may be cabin gain. This with a test tone cd I made. Anyway, of all the songs I listened to after removing the poly, only one CD sounded funky, and it sounds weird on my home setup also. Too much LOW on the kickdrum. It sounds nice on systems without subs, but with subs...it's crazy. I'll goof with the eq some more to see what I can come up with.

Sounds awesome, still tweaking it ( I should have some time tonight). I'm amazed by the sub's authority and extension. Sounded really good on everything I threw at it. My only problem is, now, I have some rattle issues to work out in the doors and panels in the cargo area. Shouldn't be too bad to eliminate them though. I'll post some more impressions after I get it properly tweaked.

Ahhh, the pics:

OK, finished my install over the weekend, and the box arrives today. The Eclipse and Focal stuff sounds great, I can't wait to get the sub in there. The wire is run and ready to go, I'll post some pics when I get the sub installed.

Will do.

REceived my sub on Saturday...man is this thing heavy and well made. I can't wait to hook it up....hopefully the box will ship within the next week or so.

The head unit I'm looking at is an Eclipse 5435. It has 5 volt preouts, supposed to be a very nice unit. Another feature I'm interested in is an auxillary input with adjustable input voltage. I'll use this for my Ipod. For speaks and and amp, I've got Focal 165v component sets for the front, and eclipse 4" coaxials for the rear doors. The fronts will be amped at 75 watts each, and the rears will be powered off of the head unit. Should totally rock. AS for information, I was just wondering who builds boxes. NO biggie, as I have already ordered mine.

Man...I guess I probably should have inquired here. Any information?

I ordered a custom box from www.klausaudio.com. I was going to build one, but these guys have great prices on custom boxes. You give them the specs on your sub, and whatever dimension limitations you might have, and they build it. I ordered a .6 cubic foot box (as per mike's recommendation), picked a carpet color, and had them polyfill it and angle the back of the box (to go up against the back seat). With everything, including shipping, the box came out to 79.91. I know I could have done it a lot cheaper myself, but I don't have a router to cut the sub hole, and I can imagine what my carpet job would have looked like. Anyway, can't wait to get it all installed. I still have to pick a head unit...should be done in a few weeks. Thanks for your suggestions.

OK, after much discussion with Mike, I went ahead and ordered an RL-i 10. I'm thinking a .75 cubic foot box would be good, and I'll be feeding it about 350-400 watts. Any suggestions?